Granddaughter has asked if I would make her a tack locker to keep at the barn where she does her 4H and other horse stuff. She’s 13 and been riding since 4. She leases a horse now.....who knew that was a thing. Anyone have a set of plans or do and do nots? I’ve seen the on line phots and ideas, but I’m sure the brain trust has some thoughts. Thanks

Basic box for all the gear will have a lift up lid and all/part of the front hinged for opening. One end would have a bar/A mount for the saddle and hooks for bridle/headgear, extra lead ropes and halter(s). The other end would have places to let saddle blankets mount and baffles/holes (with screen covering holes) to let the sweaty saddle blankets to air dry. The center would have spaces for buckets/feed/grooming supplies, first aid supplies, leg wraps, Body blankets and so on. The ones I made/used like this size were made with 3/4 marine ply and interior bracing(to allow for the front to be hinged/opened. Generally just used rope handles and exterior door hinges(3" or 4") Built mine with slots for the grooming boxes and shelves in the center for storage. Empty required at least two hefty folks to move and full four or more. I always used treated 3/4" ply for the bottom and covered that with hardboard or 1/4" ply to isolate the treated ply from the inside.

Those sized boxes usually are placed in front of the stall in the aisle.

I have seen(not used) tall boxes(like metal lockers in schools) with a bar for the saddle at the bottom, hooks on the sides, and shelves for other stuff. Those were generally 3' square and however tall the makes made them (5'-6')

We had grooming boxes (like wooden tool boxes) to carry to the wash stand that held all the brushes/combs, soaps, sprays, squeeges, sweat scrapers, hoof picks and so on.

I made one for a family friend's daughter, they took it to the barn a few times, but they decided it was too nice to go to the barn. I approached it like a blanket chest, with a few changes. First, I drilled holes in each corner in the bottom, and covered it with screens thinking a little air would be a good thing. I also inset ledgers to hold a sliding tray that was a few inches deep. I made the top overhang the front and two sides, so that it would help keep out dust. When I did some searching online, I saw some that put cork on the inside of the top so that the owner can use thumbtacks to pin ribbons and awards, and thought that was a nice touch, but didn't do that. Tho main thing is to find out what size they want, and what they want to keep in it.

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